 Alaska Teacher Named Finalist for National Teacher of the Year
Last week the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) announced that 2023 Alaska Teacher of the Year Harlee Harvey is one of five finalists for 2023 National Teacher of the Year.
Harvey is a first-grade teacher at Tikiġaq School in Point Hope. She has taught in the North Slope Borough School District since graduating from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2014.
"On behalf of all Alaskans, congratulations to Ms. Harvey for this outstanding recognition," said Governor Mike Dunleavy. "As a former educator in rural Alaska, I know that teachers in remote areas face unique challenges. Where others see obstacles, Ms. Harvey sees opportunity, and the students of Point Hope benefit from her commitment to excellence."
CCSSO’s National Teacher of the Year Program identifies exceptional teachers across the country, celebrates their work in and outside the classroom, and, through one-of-a-kind professional development opportunities, helps them amplify their voices and empowers them to take part in policy discussions at the state and national level.
More information about the 2023 State Teachers of the Year, the finalists and the National Teacher of the Year Program is available here.
State Board of Education Votes to Open Public Comment Period for Alaska Reads Act Regulations
Last Wednesday during a virtual special meeting the Alaska State Board of Education and Early Development voted to send regulations out for public comment pertaining to the Alaska Reads Act, approved a Teacher Apprentice Program board resolution, and modified the board's 2023 meeting dates to accommodate Commissioner interviews and approval of Alaska Reads Act regulations.
The proposed regulations are in response to the passage of House Bill (HB) 114, Education: Schools; Funding; Programs, also known as the Alaska Reads Act, that became law on July 15, 2022 (Chapter 40, SLA 2022). The effective date of this new law is July 1, 2023. The Alaska Reads Act created four new programs in the Department of Education and Early Development: an early education grant program; a district reading improvement program; a department reading program; and a virtual education consortium. The regulations approved to go out to public comment address three of the four programs (an early education grant program; a district reading improvement program; and a department reading program), as well as amendments to teacher certification regulations tied to the Alaska Reads Act. The regulations for the virtual education consortium are forthcoming. A summary of the proposed regulations is available here.
The board approved a resolution in support of alternative pathways to teacher certification. The board's resolution supports efforts by DEED to identify fiscal resources that can be used to support alternative certificate programs in Alaska as recommended by the Teacher Retention and Recruitment subcommittee on Alternative Certification Programs, identify regulatory changes that would allow for additional teacher preparation programs to be allowed in Alaska, and develop a Request for Information for development of an alternative education program.
The board amended its meeting calendar for the 2022-2023 school year in order to conduct interviews for the Commissioner and the need to approve Alaska Reads Act regulations. The board will hold a special meeting on February 23, 2023 in person in Anchorage for executive session Commissioner interviews. The board will hold a special meeting virtually on April 19, 2023 to vote on approving Alaska Reads Act regulations.
Alaska Reads Act
Implementation Webinar
Focus: District Reading Intervention
Through May, DEED is hosting weekly hour-long webinars to take a deeper dive into the Alaska Reads Act. The webinars will focus on each of the four programmatic parts of the Alaska Reads Act, as well teacher certification, data collections, and application to world and Alaska Language programs. Multiple webinars are also scheduled which will be dedicated entirely for Q&A and clarification. These webinars are open to the public but will be tailored to educators leading implementation efforts in each district or school.
This week's webinar will discuss Grade Progression.
The webinar is scheduled for 3:15-4:15 PM. Click here to register.
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Meeting of the Professional Teaching Practices Commission
The Professional Teaching Practices Commission will meet virtually via Zoom on Thursday and Friday February 2-3, 2023. The Commission will hear a case in an administrative hearing and plans to consider disciplinary actions against certificate holders, to conduct administrative reviews, and to discuss other Commission business. To attend the meeting go to the PTPC webpage at https://education.alaska.gov/ptpc to find the Zoom link.
New Content Available for Safe Children's Act Curriculum
The Alaska Safe Children’s Act (informally known as Erin’s and Bree’s Law) requires schools to cover the topics of child sexual abuse and teen dating violence. DEED created a curriculum in response to legislative action. This curriculum is for students in grades 7 through 12 and is called Bree’s Law Education. It meets the full requirements for student training under the Alaska Safe Children’s Act, including requirements for Bree’s Law and Erin’s Law. There are now two versions of the curriculum (A and B) for each grade band. The two versions allow the curricula to be used in consecutive years providing variety in the lessons and scenarios while covering the same content. If you have questions about the Safe Children’s Act, please contact us at EED.AlaskaSafeChildrensAct@alaska.gov.
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Request for Information: Assessment Outreach Facilitator Funding
The Department of Education & Early Development (DEED) is seeking a full-service vendor that will provide support services for stakeholder input and feedback related to Alaska’s Balanced Assessment System including the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and to support stakeholder engagement of the National Indian Education Study (NIES).
Please see the link for more information and instructions on how to submit a response. Note that the deadline has been extended until Friday, February 3, 2023, so if this is a project of interest do reach out to the contact on the solicitation to present questions or indicate interest.
Request for Information: Assessment Outreach Facilitation - Alaska Online Public Notices (state.ak.us)
All questions must be directed to the person listed below in writing via email with the RFI Title in the subject line.
Kathy Blomquist Procurement Officer Email: eed.procurement@alaska.gov
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